Sentiment survey: Courier-Mail readers reveal which leader they trust more

New premier Steven Miles has already proven himself more trustworthy than Annastacia Palaszczuk in the eyes of Courier-Mail readers, but how does he stack up against his main political rival? LATEST SURVEY RESULTS

Premier Steven Miles faces a battle to win the trust of Queenslanders as a major new survey reveals he trails behind LNP Leader David Crisafulli by a significant margin.

A sentiment survey of ­almost 7000 people for The Courier-Mail shows Mr Crisafulli is seen by 60 per cent of respondents as the most trustworthy leader when asked to choose between him, Annastacia Palaszczuk or new Premier Steven Miles.

Mr Miles, who took the top job three weeks ago, is considered the most trustworthy by 7.5 per cent of voters, while his predecessor Annastacia Palaszczuk, is deemed the most trustworthy by 4.5 per cent.

Mr Miles highlighted the value of trust in his first major speech as ­Premier.

“I will honour the trust my colleagues from right across Queensland have placed in me today, and I promise to work day and night to earn the trust of Queenslanders,” he said.

However, distrust of Queensland’s political leaders remains high – 27 per cent of survey respondents voted for none of the three leaders.

Premier Steven Miles trails Opposition Leader David Crisafulli when it comes to trustworthiness, according to Courier-Mail readers.

The survey revealed trust in local government was highest, with 64 per cent of respondents believing it is the level of government they trust the most.

The state government is considered the most untrustworthy tier of government, with just 11.6 per cent of the vote, while the federal government is most trusted by 24 per cent of Queenslanders polled.

A failure to address youth crime appears to be behind the frustration Queenslanders hold against the state ­government.

When asked what government responsibility was their highest priority, 56 per cent of people said “tackle youth crime”. Reducing energy prices was the next highest priority, with 12 per cent saying it was the most important, ahead of reducing surgery waiting times (10 per cent) and reducing debt (8.8 per cent).

For 5 per cent of respondents, creating jobs should be the state government’s highest priority.

Mr Miles acknowledged that youth crime in Queensland was unacceptably high and said keeping Queenslanders safe was the government’s most important obligation.

“We need to tackle both crime and the causes of crime,” he said after becoming ­Premier.

“We will be a government committed to giving our young people the very best chance in life … a good education and jobs and the right support early in life, but many kids don’t have strong role models.

“I can’t fix the youth crime problem on my own – we need everyone to step up.”

When asked if the state government was doing enough to support small business, a staggering 71 per cent of people polled said no.

Some 8.5 per cent argued the government was doing enough, and 20 per cent said they were unsure.

The Premier is expected to focus more on the environment than his predecessor, Ms Palaszczuk.

Expenditure on renewable energy resulted in diverse views in the sentiment survey, with 22 per cent of respondents calling for more to be spent on green energy.

Some 27 per cent of respondents say the current level of spending should be maintained, while 50 per cent think less should be spent on renewable energy.

A $14.2bn pumped hydro project proposed for Borumba, near Gympie, is among the most costly single-energy projects in Queensland in ­decades.

Mr Miles has also pledged to reduce Queensland emissions by 75 per cent by 2035, with the government’s $62bn Energy and Jobs Plan the major blueprint to achieve it.

The plan also includes a ­renewable energy target of 70 per cent by 2032 and 80 per cent by 2035.

Meanwhile, The Courier-Mail’s sentiment survey results show 41 per cent of respondents are worried about the health of the Great Barrier Reef. Almost 60 per cent are not worried.

The Great Barrier Reed Marine Park Authority’s Reef Health Assessment, published in December before the arrival of Tropical Cyclone Jasper, noted sea surface temperatures increased in November from slightly below to slightly above average.